Snap Chat

Words by: Jared Paul Stern

Without Andy Warhol there’d be no Instagram.

The father of Pop Art popularized both the concept of instant fame and celebrity culture, both through his work and Interview magazine, with the snapshot playing an important role. From the late 1950s until his death in 1987 Warhol carried a Polaroid camera with him everywhere he went, amassing an enormous collection of instant images. He photographed not only friends and celebrities but also people, objects and scenes he encountered that took his fancy, some of which later became subjects for his paintings. You could buy one of his original snaps for a mere $14,000 – unsigned. Or you can pick up Andy Warhol: The Polaroids 1958–1987 from Taschen for $99.99.

The band new book features some 700 images culled from Warhol’s collection of 20,000 Polaroids, many of which served as study’s for his paintings. His favorite Polaroid model was the Big Shot, introduced in 1971. In addition to the icons of kitsch and camp that he loved so well are a number of previously unseen shots though the focus is of course on celebrities. Created in collaboration with the Andy Warhol Foundation, the 560-page book features great shots of some of our favorite style icons, including Mick Jagger, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Alfred Hitchcock and Jack Nicholson. Before you go Instagramming away, take the time to see how Warhol did it back in the day. And then check out our own feed @duncan_quinn to see why we think the King of Pop would have approved.